THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

Movie:  The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire
Jan's Rating:  A-
Time:  2 Hours 26 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Five of us went to see The Hunger Games today and we all loved it but we were all disappointed with the ending, which left you hanging.  I know that the Hunger Games is a trilogy and there is one more movie to come out yet, but it could have satisfied our "hunger" with a few more details at the end, like....is Pita still alive??  Jennifer Lawrence is outstanding in her role; she just seems to get better with every movie she makes.  The movie is definitely worth seeing!

DELIVERY MAN

Movie:  Delivery Man
Jan's Rating:  B-
Time:  1 Hour 45 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  I saw this movie today with my sister, Judy, and Cousin Bonnie.  Bonnie gave the movie an "A", Judy gave it a "B" and I gave it a "B-".  I fell asleep several times which means it didn't hold my interest.  I understand the Enquirer gave it a very good rating, an "A" I think...... The movie is taken from a true story of a guy who donated his sperm to a sperm bank OFTEN when he was younger.  It seems that since he had good DNA, the sperm bank gave out mostly his sperm and no one else's.  Consequently, he finds that he fathered 533 children.  A fourth of them have formed a club and are trying to find out who their father is.  He is known only at "Starbuck".  It was a cute movie, but a little bit silly for my taste.

ENOUGH SAID

Movie:  Enough Said
Jan's Rating:  A
Time:  1 Hour 33 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  I saw this movie today with my friend, Laura, and we both really enjoyed it, as you can tell by the rating I gave it.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini play a couple who have both been divorced and given up on finding love again.  She's a masseuse and he is a big lovable teddy bear.  They meet at a party and enjoy talking to each other, then he asks her out to dinner and they find they enjoy each other's company.  They each just have one child, a daughter, and both girls are headed off to their first year at college.  Unknown to Julia, one of her clients is James' ex-wife, who does not talk favorably about him, and it's a long time before Julia realizes her boyfriend is this woman's ex-husband.  She should have said something when she found out but she didn't, so naturally there were consequences.  I'll let you see the movie and find out what those consequences were.

DON JON

Movie:  Don Jon
Jan's Rating:  C
Time:  1 Hour 29 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Saw this with Cousin Bonnie today and she gave it a B+.  I wasn't so generous.  The movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a nice-looking, strong young Catholic boy who goes to church every Sunday and confesses to his priest about how many times he had sex that week and how many times he watched porn on TV.  He is addicted to porn movies and loses his beautiful, sexy girlfriend (Scarlet Johansson) because of it.  Tony Danza plays his father; all I can say about him is....like father, like son.  Then he meets an older woman, played by Julianne Moore, who shows him what true love is and why he doesn't need porn to make him happy.  Ho hum.  Not much more I can say about this film.

GRAVITY

Movie:  Gravity
Jan's Rating:  C
Time:  1 Hour 31 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  My sister-in-law, Sherry, and I went to see this movie today and we were both glad we didn't see it in 3D; it was scary enough without parts of the shuttle flying into the audience.  Sherry was very disappointed because she said it had no plot.  She had just read the book "Gravity" and thought the movie was taken from the book but it wasn't.  I, on the other hand, could see the plot but it wasn't my favorite movie. Sandra Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a Bio-Medical Engineer, and George Clooney plays Matt Kowalski, a veteran astronaut on his last mission.  While they are outside the shuttle, debris from a satellite crashes into the shuttle, leaving them stranded in space.  Now, the question is....will they make it back to earth alive?  I won't tell you and ruin it for you.  I will say that Sandra Bullock was outstanding in her role and just might be up for an Academy Award for her performance.

THE FAMILY

Movie:  The Family
Jan's Rating:  B
Time:  1 Hour 51 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie today and we both enjoyed it.  The movie is a dark comedy, serious but still funny in places.  Mob boss Robert DiNiro, his wife, Michelle Pfeiffer, and their son and daughter have been put in the witness protection program, and are now located in France.  Tommy Lee Jones is with the FBI and it is his job to keep this family safe from those who want to kill them, but it is not an easy assignment since Robert and Michelle both have bad tempers and tend to "take care of business" when someone makes them angry.  Naturally the children have learned from their parents how to protect their selves, and the kids in their new school soon find out not to mess with them.  This movie is definitely worth seeing.  These three wonderful actors are worth seeing no matter what the movie is about.

RED 2

Movie:  RED 2
Jan's Rating:  B
Time:  1 Hour 56 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  My husband and I went to see this movie today and we both enjoyed it.  In fact, I think I liked it a little better than the first one entitled "RED".  RED stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous.  They are a group of retired CIA agents who get called back to work to track down a nuclear device.  Starring in the movie were Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirran, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Mary Louise Parker.  It was very enjoyable, especially for us senior citizens.

LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER

Movie:  Lee Daniels' The Butler
Jan's Rating:  B+
Time:  2 Hours 12 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Saw this movie today with cousin Bonnie, and friends Patty and Kris.  We all enjoyed the movie very much.  If anyone in the movie gets an academy award, it should be Forest Whitaker, who did an excellent job playing the role of "The Butler" in the White House from the Eisenhower years through Reagan's term in office.  Probably my only complaint with the movie is..... the actors who played the Presidents' roles looked nothing like the person they were playing.  With all the actors in Hollywood and the makeup artists, I do think they could have done a better job in that area.  The movie was a true story and anyone my age will remember when this happened.....remember the Black Panthers?  I do.

GIRL MOST LIKELY

Movie:  Girl Most Likely
Jan's Rating:  C+
Time:  1 hour 42 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  I saw this movie today with Cousin Bonnie.  The only place it is playing is Mariemont but we like that little theater.  Kristen Wiig stars as a young woman living in New York as a playwright.  In the opening, her boyfriend breaks up with her and she is devastated.  She pretends to commit suicide and ends up in the psych ward of the hospital.  The doctor calls her mother, played by Annette Bening, whom she hasn't seen in years, and asks her to come get her daughter out of the hospital and keep her for 72 hours because the hospital doesn't have room for her.  Annette Bening plays the ding-bat mother who has a live-in boyfriend (Matt Dillon) who is as dingy as she is.  Kristen eventually realizes that the people she thought were her friends, only loved them selves and did not care about her.  Her brother, who is mentally slow, does still live with their mother, but he ends up having more common sense than his mother or sister.  We enjoyed the movie but it wasn't one of our favorites.

LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED

Movie:  Love is all you Need
Jan's Rating:  A
Time:  1 Hour 50 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  I saw this movie today with cousin Bonnie and we both loved it!  Most of the movie is in sub-titles with mostly Danish actors, except for Pierce Brosnan, who plays the lead male role.  A Danish gal, Trine Dyrholm, plays the lead female role.  Trine's daughter is getting married in Italy so she is at the airport to catch a flight to attend the wedding.  As she is parking her car, she collides with another car driven by Pierce Brosnan, who just happens to be the father of the groom, and he is also planning to take the same flight to the wedding.  Pierce is very angry at her for hitting his car and yells at her until she cries.  He is under a lot of stress with the company he owns and is just an unhappy guy because his wife is dead.  I will let you see the movie yourself to find out what happens between these two, and between the bride and the groom.  It is a wonderful, romantic movie.  Unfortunately, it is only playing here at the Esquire in Clifton.

WORLD WAR Z

Movie:  World War Z
Jan's Rating:  B+
Time:  1 Hour 56 Mins.

Jan's Opinion:  I took my grandson, Danny, and his friend, A.J., to see this movie yesterday and we all enjoyed it.  My rating is an average of Danny and A.J.'s rating.  Danny gave the movie an "A" and A.J. gave it a "B".  Brad Pitt has the role of Gerry Lane.  Gerry used to be a special agent for the United Nations but retired to spend time with his family.  That decision was short lived.  Gerry and his family (wife and 2 daughters) are in their automobile one day in downtown Philadelphia, all traffic is stopped, and they are suddenly attacked by people who have turned into zombies.  Gerry is able to get his family free, steal a camper, and get out of the city.  He called his old boss for help and his boss told him that he needed Gerry to come back to work for them to find out why these zombies were attacking armies and governments all over the world, not just Philadelphia.  He promised Gerry that he would keep his family safe on their ship while Gerry helped them stop this attack.  Gerry accepts.  The movie just gets more exciting from there.

THE HEAT

Movie:  The Heat
Jan's Rating:  A - Dave's Rating:  B+
Time:  1 Hour 57 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  My husband and I saw this movie today and we both loved it.  The previews are funny and the movie is even funnier.  When you put two people like Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy together, you don't know what to expect but you know it is a good combination.  Sandra works for the FBI and Melissa is a cop in Boston, where Sandra goes to chase down a killer.  I would love to be able to take my grandson to see it because he would love it, but Melissa's language is downright filthy and my grandson doesn't need to hear that.  Sandra remains a "lady" with her language until near the end and then she loses it.  It really is hilarious.

BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Movie:  Before Midnight
Jan's Rating:  B-
Time:  1 Hour 48 Minutes

Cousin Bonnie and I went to see this movie today in Mariemont.  It is the third movie in a trilogy and I have not seen the first two movies, though Bonnie saw number two.  The movie stars Ethan Hawke as Jesse, and Julie Delpy as Celine.  The couple now have twin girls who look to be five or six years old.  The movie starts off with Jesse and his son, Hank, at the airport.  Hank has just spent the summer with his dad and Celine in Greece and is now flying back to Chicago to his mother.  After he leaves, Jesse is full of guilt that he hasn't been there for his son and thinks maybe they should move back to Chicago until his son finishes high school in four more years.  Celine is very much against moving back and is trying to make a decision about her career....should she go back to work to something she enjoys doing but doesn't like the person she would have to work for?  She and Jesse get into a heated argument about all of this which goes on and on, reminding some people how they sound when in the same situation.

WHAT MAISIE KNEW

Movie:  What Maisie Knew
Jan's Rating:  B
Time:  1 hour 38 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Bonnie and I saw this movie starring Julianne Moore.  Julianne has a ten-year old daughter named Maisie who listens when no one knows she is listening, and knows more than her parents think she knows.  Her parents are divorced.  Maisie lives with her mother who is trying to make it in the world as a singer so isn't home a lot.  Maisie's father travels abroad a lot and he and his ex-wife argue a lot, very loudly, so Maisie hears everything they say.  Maisie has a beautiful, young blonde babysitter who has an affair with Maisie's father.  I'll stop there so I don't spoil it for you.  I would say that women probably would enjoy this movie more than men.

THE INTERNSHIP

Movie:  The Internship
Jan's Rating:  C+
Time:  1 Hour 59 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  I took my 14-year old grandson to see this movie and he gave it a rating of "A".  I think he was too generous.  It was a cute movie, but I did doze off a couple of times because it got boring, so I gave it a C+.  Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson both lose their jobs and apply for an internship with Google.  The people applying are separated into two groups.  The winning group will get a job with Google.  Since Vince and Owen are the oldest on their team, the other kids tease them about their age and act superior as they live their lives through their cell phones.  The lesson I took away from this movie is that the two older guys taught the younger ones in their class that they could actually have a good time without their cell phones and interacting with real people.  We came out of the movie and two young theater workers were sitting on the floor texting on their cell phones while waiting to clean up the theater.  I told them they should watch the movie.

MUD

Title:  Mud
Jan's Rating:  A-
Time:  2 Hours 10 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie today in Kenwood and both of us enjoyed it very much.  Matthew McConaughey plays "Mudd", a guy who is hiding out on an island because he killed a man for beating up his girlfriend, "Juniper", played by Reese Witherspoon.  These two love each other but are poison together.  She cheats on him and he beats up the guys she cheats with, except for the one he killed.  He is discovered living in an abandoned boat on an island by two teenage boys, around 14 years old.  The boys stole my heart because they are my grandson's age, but these boys have a hard life, living on a boat on a swampy river in Arkansas.  "Ellis" is played by Tye Sheridan and is upset because his parents are getting a divorce; his mother wants to move to the city and Ellis only knows living on the river.  "Neckbone" is played by Jacob Lofland, also lives on the river but never knew his parents, and is being raised by his uncle.  When these boys discover Mud living in an abandoned boat, they befriend him and find they are in deep trouble.  I'll stop there.  See it, you'll enjoy it too!

THE GREAT GATSBY

Movie:  The Great Gatsby
Jan's Rating:  B
Time:  2 Hours 23 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie today and it was good.  I don't normally like period pieces but this was pretty good.  Bonnie had seen the one from the 70's with Robert Redford, who played Gatsby and gave that one an "A" and this one a "B".  I did not see the one with Robert Redford so cannot compare.  In this movie, Leonardo DiCaprio played Gatsby and Tobey Maguire played his next-door neighbor.  I did not know any of the other actors.  Gatsby is possessed by a young woman named Daisy and nothing will stop him from winning her love, even though she is married to another man.  This movie is available as a regular movie or in 3-D.  We saw the 3-D version and do not feel it was worth the extra $4 to see Gatsby throw his shirts over the bannister and have a couple look like they were going to land in the audience.  Just my opinion.  Did enjoy the movie itself though.

GINGER AND ROSA

Movie:  Ginger and Rosa
Jan's Rating:  C
Time:  1 Hour 35 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Cousin Bonnie and I went to see this movie today and we were both disappointed.  It was a very dark movie, took place in war-torn London in 1945 (I think) so most of the movie was very grey.  It starts with 2 mothers giving birth about the same time and they remain long-time friends, as do their daughters who were born at the same time.  I am guessing that the daughters are around 15 years old during most of this movie.  They are fairly typical teenagers in that they are trying life out for the first time.  One of the girls (Ginger) is played by Elle Fanning who does a good job with her role.  She is worried about the world ending and joins a group who demonstrate and do sit-ins.  A lady in the group who befriends her is Annette Benning, who still looks pretty good without makeup.  The story jumps around a lot and people come and go in the movie and you have no idea who they are.  We should have known when the Enquirer gave it an "A" that it wouldn't be our kind of movie.  I don't want to tell you anymore about it in case you want to see it.  This is just my humble opinion.

THE BIG WEDDING

Movie:  The Big Wedding
Jan's Rating:  B
Time:  1 Hour 30 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  It's good to be back on my blog again!  There haven't been any movies playing for the past 4-6 weeks that I wanted to see.  Finally, The Big Wedding opened today so cousin Bonnie and I went to see it and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I don't know how the Enquirer can give a movie a "D" rating when it has such stars as Robin Williams, Diane Keaton, Robert DiNiro, Susan Sarandon, Katherine Heigl and Amanda Seyfried.  Robert DiNiro and Diane Keaton have been divorced for many years and their son is getting married.  Suddenly all the skeletons start coming out of the closet.  We both found it very funny and think it deserves a "B".

KILLING THEM SOFTLY

Movie:  Killing Them Softly
Dave's Rating:  F
Time:  1 hour 37 Minutes

Dave's Opinion:  Jan watched 10 minutes of this movie and couldn't watch anymore so left the room.  I did watch the rest of the movie so here is my review:

I would call this movie "Killing Them (the viewers) First and end their Misery! 

This is 97 minutes of pure agony but it may have set a record for the use of the "F" word in a low-budget film, or any film for that matter.  I really loved the song with the same title, by Roberta Flack, and certainly have enjoyed past performances by Brad Pitt, but he stooped to a new low when he agreed to make this movie.  This 2012 film cost $15 million to make and then only grossed $35 million.  The story line does not exist and the acting is terrible!

May I end your agony now by suggesting you do not waste your money on this movie.  My rating is an "F".

ALEX CROSS

Movie:  Alex Cross
Jan's Rating:  C+
Time:  1 hour 43 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  I didn't get to see Alex Cross when it was in the Theaters but we rented it last night from Time Warner Cable and it was a pretty good movie.  If you are not familiar with the name Alex Cross, he is the main character in many of James Patterson's books, and we have read them all, so we were naturally interested in seeing the movie.  I believe there have been two other Alex Cross movies made several years ago.  In those movies, Morgan Freeman played Alex Cross.  As much as I like Morgan Freeman, he was too old to play Alex Cross.  In the movie we saw last night, Tyler Perry played the role of Alex Cross and did an excellent job.  Nana Mama was played by Cicily Tyson who was perfect for that role.  I was disappointed that the setting was Detroit, Michigan instead of Washington, DC, where all the Alex Cross stories have taken place.  However, there was a lot of action and my husband and I enjoyed it very much.

LIFE OF PI

Movie:  Life of Pi
Jan's Rating:  B
Time:  2 Hours 7 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie today and frankly, I would have given the movie and acting an "A" rating except for the starving animals eating each other.  I just couldn't watch.  Not to mention the father of Pi deciding to teach him a lesson about what would happen if he got too close to the tiger.....the father tied a baby goat to the gate so he couldn't run away and the tiger ate him alive, pulling him through the bars.  If I hadn't been there with Bonnie, I would have left then.  As you probably know already, Pi and his family are on a large sailing vessel when they encounter a terrible storm.  The only ones to survive are Pi, a sweet zebra, the tiger, and some large cat that was hungry and mean!  I won't tell you anymore but it gets ugly on that raft because the animals are so hungry.  I was shocked to see the rating is just PG.  I can't imagine young children watching this movie!  I'll leave it up to you whether you want to see it or not. 

SAFE HAVEN

Movie:  Safe Haven
Jan's Rating:  B+ (I'm a romantic....)
Time:  1 Hour 55 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie today and we both enjoyed it, though I might have enjoyed it a little bit more than she did.  I don't think she was fond of the unusual ending but I kind of believe in that stuff so it was okay with me.  You will understand what I mean after you see the movie.  I don't want to ruin it for you so I'll leave it at that.  You have probably seen the previews where Julianne Hough gets off the bus in a small town down south and starts a new life there.  You aren't sure what it is that she is running from but you will find out later in the movie.  Meanwhile she falls in love with Josh Duhamel (who wouldn't?) who is a widower and has 2 children.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

IDENTITY THIEF

Movie:  Identity Thief
Jan's Rating:  B
Time:  1 hour 51 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  I saw this movie today with my friend, Laura, and we both enjoyed it.  Those who give it a bad rating don't have a sense of humor.  Melissa McCarthy is excellent in her role of the identity thief who steals Jason Bateman's identity.  Amanda Peet plays Jason's wife.  When Jason finds out that someone has stolen his identity and he knows this person has a hair appt. at a certain salon in Florida, he asks the police to grab her there, but the police say they can't do that.  So, since Jason lives in Denver, he flies to Florida, rents a car, and chases the gal down.  She really gives him a hard time and he has more patience than God.  There are lots of hilarious situations, and sad too when she tells him her life story.  All I can say is, don't pay attention to the bad reviews and cheat yourself out of a good movie. 

QUARTET

Movie:  Quartet
Jan's Rating:  C
Time:  1 hour 38 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie yesterday and we agreed it was a sweet  story with a few laughs, but if you are expecting it to be like Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, you will be disappointed.  Dustin Hoffman directs this movie which stars Maggie Smith, who just shines in her role as a retired opera singer.  She used to get at least 9, if not 12, encores, but now that she has aged, her voice has trouble hitting the high notes, so finally she is broke and moves into a retirement home for musicians, where she knows her ex-husband is living.  He is not so happy to see her, but it is fun to watch her worm her way back into his life.  I rather imagine people age 50 and over will enjoy this one more than the under-50 generation.  Then again, I might be wrong....

ARGO

Movie:  Argo
Jan's Rating:  A
Time:  2 Hours

Jan's Opinion:  My husband and I went to see this movie Friday, and like everyone else, thought it was a very good movie.  Here is my husband's review:
     Ben Affleck stars in and directs this suspenseful thriller.  It is the Fall of 1979 when a crowd of Islamic revolutionaries in Iran capture the US Embassy in Tehran to begin a 444-day hostage incident involving 66 captors inside our embassy.  A separate incident goes on at the same time involving six American Embassy staff members who escape the embassy during the takeover and find refuge in the home of the Canadian Ambassador.  The plot is quite simple.......free the 6 staff members before the revolutionaries find them.  To that end, the CIA places their agent, played by Ben Affleck, inside Iran with his mission to free the Embassy Six.  This movie has so many suspenseful moments, that you spend at least an hour of this movie sitting on the edge of your seat wondering if they will make it or get captured.  This movie is based on a true story and the infusion of actual period news-coverage video add to the suspense and make it real.  Twice during the movie, the audience actually clapped.  It was definitely a nail-biter!

JACK REACHER

Movie:  Jack Reacher
Rating:  C+
Time:  2 Hours 10 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  My hubby and I saw this movie today and he rated it a "C" and I was thinking "B-", so I gave it a "C+".  An ex-military sniper is investigated for killing 5 people.  Jack Reacher, played by Tom Cruise, works to learn the truth and get revenge.  Lee Childs has written many books with the main character being Jack Reacher, and this is from his book, "One Shot".  There is lots of action and violence, causing me to hide my eyes a few times.  However, though it isn't an academy award winner, I enjoyed it.

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Movie:  Parental Guidance
Jan's Rating:  B-
Time:  1 hour 44 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie today, a cute comedy, and we both liked it.  Billy Crystal and Bette Midler have one daughter who is married with 3 children and they haven't seen them in 10 months.  Suddenly, Bette Midler answers the phone and it's her daughter asking if they can come to their house (I think in Georgia) and babysit so she can go with her husband out of town on business.  The funny part is that Bette and Billy raised their children like we oldsters did, but their daughter is raising her children to never near a negative word, so you can't say no, don't, won't, etc., and....there are no "outs" at the ball game because they don't want to hurt the child's feelings who strikes out.  That really is hard for us oldsters to swallow.  Anyway, anything that can go wrong, does go wrong, and the kids end up falling in love with their grandparents.  It is a sweet story.

LES MISERABLES

Movie:  Les Miserables
Jan's Rating:  A+
Time:  2 Hours 38 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  You can tell by my rating that I loved this movie!  I am usually not a big fan of musicals, except for Mamma Mia and Chicago, but the previews looked so good for this one that I talked my friend, Laura, into seeing it with me today.  At the end, we were both crying and sharing a box of tissues!  It wasn't a happy movie by any means.  It takes place around 1832, during the French Revolution, and stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, and Eddie Redmayne.  The acting was probably the best I have seen in any movie....ever!  They all deserve an academy award.  It is the story of Jean Valjean (played by Hugh Jackman), a former prisoner who becomes mayor of a town in France.  Valjean agrees to take care of Cosette (Amanda Siefried), the illegitimate daughter of Fantine (Anne Hathaway), and must avoid being captured again by Javert (Russell Crowe), a nasty police inspector who is not very forgiving.  There is SO MUCH DRAMA in this movie, and makes you feel thankful to be living today and not in those times and conditions.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

THE GUILT TRIP

Movie:  The Guilt Trip
Jan's Rating:  B
Time:  1 Hour 35 Minutes

Jan's Opinion:  Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie today, and being familiar with Jewish Mothers, we both enjoyed the humor very much.  Only Barbra Streisand could play this part and pull it off.  She was very funny, and loveable.  Seth Rogen plays her son and they drive across the country together, getting on each other's nerves every day, but in the most loving way.  It has a very clever ending that will make you smile, if not laugh out loud.  Go see it already!  You will love it!